CONCORD — Mark Leahy was admittedly getting antsy. His sleepy Rochester Post 7 team trailed Londonderry by a run in the bottom of the seventh in a Senior American Legion state baseball tournament elimination game and had really showed very little sign of life.

But Leahy’s pulse quickened in the seventh, as did Post 7’s, when his team plated three runs —all with no outs — to go ahead 4-2. Leahy, properly reenergized, did the rest, retiring Londonderry in both the eighth and ninth without a run to keep Post 7 alive in the tournament for one more day.

“I was getting nervous,” Leahy said. “I was thinking just hold them down; don’t let them get anymore. I knew we’d come back fighting. The season was on the line.”

Rochester (2-1), which played two games Sunday, losing a morning game to Nashua, 4-2, returns to Memorial Field today for a 4 p.m. game. It will play the loser of an earlier game today between Nashua and Lebanon (12 p.m.), the two remaining unbeaten teams in the tournament.

“It was a tough day for us, but I think it was a good day,” said Rochester coach B.J. Gagnon. “We’re still alive.”

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Rochester’s Zach Miller avoids being hit by a pitch during the Senior American Legion state tournament Sunday in Concord. (Whaley/ Democrat photo)

Rochester trailed Londonderry Post 27 (1-2) 2-0 after five and half innings, but was able to cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth when Justin Jewell drew a one-out walk, moved to second on Anthony DiPrizio’s single and then third on a wild pitch. He scored on Ricky Kramer’s two-out base hit to left.

The Post 7 seventh was not without excitement. Zach Miller (2 hits, run) stroked a lead-off single to right off Londonderry starting pitcher Tom Corey, who effectively held Rochester scoreless through five innings before allowing the run in the sixth.

Londonderry brought in lefty Keith Simpson and Luke Roberts greeted him with a perfectly placed bunt to the right side that got past the pitcher for a hit.

No. 3 hitter Alex Gray was next up and he bunted to move the runners along, sending the ball toward third where Simpson fielded the ball and fired to third baseman Ryan Maloney who looked like he caught the ball just a hair before Miller slid in.

Miller, however, was called safe. Instead of first and second with one out, it was bases loaded and no outs.

Simpson lost his cool right after the call and it carried over to the next at-bat when Jewell was walked on four pitches, forcing in Miller with the tying run.

“That was definitely a game changer,” Gray said. “I think we got right in that kid’s head. ... That was the point that changed the momentum.”

“Big play,” Gagnon said. “Maybe he’s out. Maybe he’s safe. That’s baseball. We ended up on the right end of that one. We’ll take it.”

“Big game like this, you’ve got to make that call,” said Londonderry coach Rick Brothers. “It wasn’t even close. ... But we stopped hitting and didn’t score any more runs and that’s how it works.”

DiPrizio then lashed a two-run single to left and Post 7 had its first lead of the game.

“Dip came up huge with another big hit,” Leahy said. “He’s been clutch all year. You’ve got to give it to him.”

It could have been more, but Kramer fouled out and Langdon lined into a double play to end the frame.

Leahy took it from there. In the eighth, he got the first batter on a pop fly. Geoff Kayo singled to right-center, but was thrown out several pitches later trying to steal by Gray. After a walk, Leahy got the third out on a fly out to center.

It was a 1-2-3 ninth. Christian Bourgeau lined out to Miller, Maloney (2 hits, RBI) belted a long fly to center that Miller tracked down just short of the fence, and Robbie Del Signore popped out to short to end the game.

“I wanted to go the whole game,” Leahy said. “I wanted to go out there and give it my all. I was up there in pitches, but I wanted to finish it. I’m glad we got the win.”

“He wanted the baseball,” Gagnon added. “For me to pry it out of his hands probably wasn’t going to happen.”

In pitching his third complete game of the season, Leahy walked four, allowed eight hits and did not whiff a batter.

“He’s not even overpowering,” Gray said. “He just hits his spots. His offspeed is nice. Kids can’t touch him.”

Londonderry went up 1-0 in the second when Ben Byerly led off with a single. Kayo bunted him to second and he later scored of Maloney’s two-out single to left-center.

Byerly (2 hits, 2 runs) also scored the second run in the sixth. He singled, moving to second when the ball got past DiPrizio in left. After two outs, he scored on Jake Welch’s sharp single to left for the 2-0 lead.

Londonderry left 11 runners on base, including the bases loaded in both the first and second innings.

“We hit the ball hard, but it was right at people,” Londonderry’s Brothers said. “We didn’t get the breaks with the bats.”

Post 7 left 10 on base and outhit Londonderry, 10 to 8. Miller singled in the first, stole second with no outs and was stranded there. In the second, DiPrizio (3 hits, 2 RBIs) and Michael Bailey (2 for 3) led off with back-to-back singles, but were left there as the next three went down.

Coach Gagnon said Josh Gagne will get the nod today on the mound. This will be Gagne’s first appearance in the tournament as he not available the first three days due to a prior commitment.